SGF falls short of 1M passenger goal

The Springfield-Branson National Airport landed just shy of its 1 million passenger goal last year.

However, with 993,129 total passengers, 2017 proved the busiest year on record for the airport, with the total passenger count up 4.2 percent from 2016 and up 35.7 percent from 2011, according to a news release.

“2017 broke all kinds of airport records,” said Brian Weiler, SGF aviation director for the airport known by its SGF service code, in the release.“And 2018 might be the year we break the 1 million passenger benchmark.”

Weiler said Allegiant Air this summer plans to add four to five more flights per week from Springfield. The airline projects at least 6,000 additional passengers in 2018 as it sends planes between Springfield and Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Punta Gorda, Florida, and Las Vegas.

“The airlines are bullish on Springfield,” Weiler said in the release.

Weiler also cited a strong southwest Missouri economy allowing more people to fly, thereby prompting airlines to add more flight options. Both helped drive the 4.2 percent year-over-year increase, he said.

He said Allegiant added service this past year to Destin-Fort Walton Beach, and United Airlines Inc. added flights to Houston, Texas. Via larger planes, Weiler said airline companies collectively added more than 31,000 seats for sale in the local market.

“And that trend continues in the new year,” SGF Marketing Director Kent Boyd said in the release. “They’re doing it by adding destinations and by using larger airplanes.”